


3. Cuddles

by love_write_edit_sleep



Series: Child's Play (DBH 31 Fic Challenge) [3]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Connor and Matthew basically parent Richard, Cuddles, Fluff, Gen, Identity Issues, Kid!RK900, M/M, Toy Story - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-06-26 13:58:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15664596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/love_write_edit_sleep/pseuds/love_write_edit_sleep
Summary: Richard is struggling to come to terms with his ‘childlike needs and requirements’. Connor and Matthew try to help.





	3. Cuddles

_“Hey, you guys okay?”_

_“I’ve been better…”_

_“Jeez, Connor, you look like shit… Come here, buddy…”_

_“Thank you, Gavin. Where’s Richard?”_

_“He’s still asleep. I didn’t wanna wake him, this shit’s gotta be exhausting for him.”_

Richard sighed, pulling the cover’s closer to his chest as he listened to Gavin and Connor talk to each other in the living room. He’d woken up hours ago, not that Gavin knew that. He found himself not wanting to get out of bed. It was warm, safe, it held him close and made him feel like he was okay… Unlike everything outside of the bed.

_“I’ll be back around 6.”_

Richard buried himself deeper into the covers when the front door closed.

The bedroom door opened, his eyes slammed shut.

“Richard?” He kept his eyes closed, his LED flickering to yellow, giving away his secret. “Richard, I know you are awake, but do not worry, I will not tell Connor.”

Richard opened his eyes to find Matthew sitting at the end of the bed.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” Matthew smiled. “How are you feeling?”

“I don’t wanna get out of bed…” Richard whispered.

“That is okay. Do you know why?”

“’M safer in hewe.”

“Do you want to try and get up? Connor and I were about to make some lunch. How about you come and choose something to eat?”

“Okay…” Richard muttered, clambering out of the large double bed he and Gavin had shared for 2 years. An old shirt of Gavin’s drooped off his shoulder and reached his toes. “I’m cold.”

“Wait there.” Matthew whispered, standing and looking in the wardrobe. He pulled out one of Gavin’s hoodies. “Here. I find that the clothing of someone I love makes me feel safe.” He smiled, draping the hoodie over Richard’s shoulders before kneeling down and zipping it up. “There. Much more mobile than your bed.”

“T’ank you, Maffew.” Richard whispered, leaning into Matthew. The AP700 gathered Richard into his arms and picked him up.

“Do you mind if I carry you like this?”

“No… it’s warm…” Richard snuggled closer to Matthew, embracing the warmth. Matthew smiled, holding Richard protectively.

“Connor is very excited to see you.” Matthew told him. “Would you like to see him?”

“Yeah…”

* * *

“Look who woke up.” Matthew smiled as he entered the living room, Richard balanced on his hip. Connor gasped, standing abruptly.

“Richard!” Richard barely had time to blink before the android had carefully pulled him from Matthew’s arms and into his own, balancing the child on his hip and pressing their foreheads together. “Richard, I’m so happy you’re okay…”

“Are you cwying?” Richard asked.

“Yes… Yes… I was so scared…”

“Oh, Connor…” Matthew gently wrapped his arms around Connor and Richard, embracing them both. Connor and Richard both leaned into the touch. A sob suddenly escaped Richard’s throat as he clung to Connor, his LED spinning red.

“I’m sowwy…”

“No, no, no…”

“Don’t be sorry.” Matthew and Connor both hushed him, Connor rubbing his back as Matthew brushed his hair back. “You’ve nothing to be sorry for…” Connor whispered. Richard nodded, whimpering as tears spilled down his chubby face.

“I don’t like being a child…” Richard confessed. “I hate it, I wanna be deactiwated…”

“Richard, sweetheart… We cannot do that…” Matthew whispered.

“Gabin says it’s okay to be a child but ‘m not a child and I don’t want these ewotions or weqwirements.” Richard sobbed. “I just wanna be me again… I can’t contwol mysewlf… a-and I wanna do things and I don’t know why… I wanna cuddle and cwy and hide and I-I wanna pwetend things. I-I wasn’t pwogrammed this way… I don’t know how to be a child…”

“Richard, slow down…” Connor cooed. “Take a deep breath.”

“I shouldn’t want the things I want!” Richard cried, struggling against Connor. “I don’t know why I want the things I want!”

“Richard, I have been programmed to understand the psychology of children as a part of my childcare duties.” Matthew whispered. Richard calmed slightly. “What is it you want?”

“I want to be held like this.”

“As does any child. You want to feel safe and loved, a requirement. That is understandable.”

“I want to cwy a lot.”

“You are experiencing a big change, a transition, from adult to child. You are struggling to adapt, and you are feeling overwhelmed by it. That is normal.”

“I-I wanna pwetend things.”

“Pretend what?”

“I-I wanna pwetend that I’m a King, o-or a cat… or a superhewo… But I don’t know why.”

“The YK500 model has the same needs and requirements of a child. Children need their imaginations to help them to develop. They learn through play, and imaginative play is a form of that. You are allowed to imagine.”

“But I shouldn’t!” Richard cried. “I shouldn’t want these things! I’m a detectibe! I was designed to catch cwiminals!”

“I know, but now, you are in a model designed to act and think and emote like a child. The two programs are contradicting each other, that is why you are struggling. You have to embrace the new program or your stress levels are going to increase until you attempt to self-destruct.”

“B-but…”

“You do not need to be a detective right now.” Matthew smiled. “And… as part of my childcare programming, I too am programmed to imagine.”

“You awe?”

“I am. Do you want to play an imagining game?”

“Okay.”

* * *

**_You can’t wake up, this is not a dream,_ **

**_You’re part of a machine,_ **

**_You are not a human being,_ **

**_With your face all made up,_ **

**_Living on a screen,_ **

**_Low on self-esteem,_ **

**_‘Cause you run on gasoline._ **

Connor laughed, holding his phone up to video his boyfriend and his brother pretending to be rockstars, using a TV remote and a hairbrush as microphones.

Matthew had removed his jacket and tied it around his waist, rolling his black shirt sleeves up to look like a vest. Richard had found one of Gavin’s band-themed vests and worn it, tying the bottom around his waist so it didn’t look like a dress.

Connor had found a black pen and applied ‘eye liner’ and ‘eye shadow’ and, in Matthew’s case, ‘black lipstick’. Their hair was ruffled and disheveled, and if Connor was honest, his boyfriend _really_ suited the look.

“Maffew?”

“Yes, Richard?”

“I’m hungwy.”

“Shall we stop playing for now and have some dinner?”

“Can you cook? Gabin can’t cook.”

“It is in my programming to cook.” Matthew smiled, pulling Richard up onto his hip as Connor turned his music off.

“Matthew?”

“Yes?” Matthew turned with Richard, barely having time to think before Connor took a photo on his phone.

“That’s my new background!” Connor giggled, quickly setting the photo as his wallpaper before pocketing it.

Matthew rolled his eyes and took Richard through to the kitchen.

* * *

“Maffew, can you teach Gabin to cook?” Richard asked, his mouth full of macaroni cheese. The two androids had cleaned themselves up and were wearing their jackets again.

“Do you like it?”

“It’s the best!” Richard cried, shovelling another mouthful in. Matthew giggled.

“I have made extra. It is in the fridge,. All Gavin has to do is reheat it.”

“T’ank you!”

“Connor?” Matthew looked over at his boyfriend, who was picking at his food. “You barely touched your food.”

“I’m not hungry…”

“You have not eaten in 14 hours.”

“I’m not hungry, Matthew.” Connor sighed, standing abruptly. “Excuse me.”

Matthew and Richard watched Connor leave the room, shortly followed by the sound of the front door closing.

“Is he okay?”

“He is just worried about Mr. Hank…” Matthew forced a smile. “He will be alright.”

* * *

Connor came back an hour later, muttering an apology to both Matthew and Richard, who were sitting on the sofa watching a movie.

“Which movie is this?”

“Toy Story.” Matthew smiled. “I thought it might help Richard to adapt to his new programming.”

“It is weally unwealistic.” Richard retorted. “Toys don’t come alive.”

“How can you be certain?” Matthew smiled. “You have never seen a toy come alive.”

“Bebause they don’t.”

“But they might.”

“How?”

“Magic.”

“Magic doesn’t exist.”

“How can you be certain? You have never seen magic.”

“Bebause it doesn’t exist.”

“But it might.”

“But it doesn’t.”

“But it might.”

“Stop.” Connor laughed. Matthew and Richard settled down and carried on watching the movie.

* * *

“Hey, sorry I’m late-”

“Gabin! You’re in the lawa!” Richard cried, pointing at the floor from where he was stood on the coffee table.

“Oh, shit!” Gavin cried, diving into a roll over to the sofa and clambering over it. “Am I safe now?” He asked, looking up at where Connor and Matthew were sitting on the dining table. Richard giggled. “Oh, oh no, I’m falling! Richard! Help!” He cried, slowly rolling to the edge of the sofa.

“I’ll save you!” Richard jumped over the gap between the sofa and coffee table and grabbed Gavin’s arm, pulling him back away from the edge. Gavin laughed.

“Took you long enough, slow coach.”

Richard pushed him off the sofa.

“Ow!” Richard cried. Connor and Matthew laughed as Gavin sat up. “Well, I’m a lava monster now, and I’m gonna eat you!”

“No!” Richard squealed, jumping off the arm of the sofa. Gavin caught him midair and held him to his chest, pretending to eat him as he made ‘nom nom nom’ sounds. Richard giggled and squealed. “So, lava boy, did you have fun?”

“Yeah! Maffew says imagining is okay, and that I got to ‘embwace my new progwamming’ or I might get weally stwessed.” Richard smiled as Gavin balanced him on his hip.

“That’s good, I’m glad you’re embracing it.” Gavin looked up at Matthew and Connor. “Thanks, guys…”

“Today was fun.” Matthew smiled. Connor nodded in agreement.

“It was enjoyable.”

“You guys are welcome over whenever, okay? Just… Look after each other, yeah?”

“We will.” Connor smiled. “See you soon, Richard.”

“Goodnight, Richard.” Matthew smiled, pressing a soft kiss atop Richard’s head.

“Bye.” The child android whispered tiredly. Gavin smiled down at him once the androids had gone.

“You okay?”

“Maffew made me macawoni.” Richard yawned. “And taught me the lawa game…”

“I see.” Gavin smiled. “You looked tired.”

“I am.”

“You wanna go to bed?”

“Okay.”

“Alright, let’s go to bed.”

* * *

“Gabin?”

“Yeah?”

“How was Hank?”

“He’s, um… He’s still sleeping, buddy…”

“Oh…”

“He’ll be okay. He’s a fighter.”

“Gabin?”

“Yeah?”

“Awe you mad at me?”

“For what?”

“For dying.”

“No, not anymore, I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“Okay…”

“Hey, Richie?”

“Yeah?”

“I got you something.”

“You did?”

“Yeah.” Gavin smiled, sitting on the end of the bed and pulling something out of his pocket. “I thought you might appreciate it later, if not now.” Gavin explained, handing it over to Richard.

It was a plush cat, filled with half-stuffing, half-beads. The weight was satisfying to Richard, as was the softness of it’s fur.

“It, um, goes in the microwave so… If you get cold, I can just heat it up of whatever…”

“I love him.” Richard whispered, cheeks pink as though he were embarrassed by it. “T'ank you.”

“No problem… You get some sleep, okay? And try not to think about Hank too much. He’ll be okay.”

“Okay… Night, Gabin.”

“Night, Richie.”

Richard waited a moment for Gavin to leave before turning back to the plush in his hands.

“... Are you alive?” He whispered, watching the cat carefully. He then put the cat down and closed his eyes for a moment, opening them suddenly to see if the cat had moved. He sighed, shaking his head. “This is stupid… Magic isn’t real.“

* * *

_“Hi, Hank… Sorry I wasn’t with you today. I was looking after Richard. He’s finally accepting the new programming, I think he’ll be okay. I hope Gavin wasn’t too mean to you while I was gone._

_Matthew and Richard were playing imagination games today. He looks good as a rockstar, they both do. You should have seen it, you’d have laughed a lot. I filmed it for you for when you wake up. I thought you’d want to see it._

_I’m sorry, Hank… I want to do something but I don’t know what to do… There’s nothing I can do… I-I’m scared to go home because if I do, I’ll remember that you may never be there again and it’ll hurt…_

_Fowler has offered to look after Skulker. I know, I was surprised too… but he seemed happy to do it. I think he wants to train him as a police dog. That would be fun, wouldn’t it?_

_Please wake up, Dad… I miss you so much…”_

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: The blue cat plush: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61jM%2BJjILXL._SY355_.jpg


End file.
